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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Nadeem Badshah

Shropshire maternity scandal: 300 babies died or left brain-damaged, says report

Road signs outside the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shropshire, where at least 12 mothers died while giving birth
Donna Ockenden’s report analysed the experiences of 1,500 families at Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust. Photograph: Jacob King/PA

Three hundred babies died or were left brain-damaged due to inadequate care at an NHS trust, according to reports.

The Sunday Times has reported that a five-year investigation will conclude next week that mothers were denied caesarean sections and forced to suffer traumatic births due to an alleged preoccupation with hitting “normal” birth targets.

The inquiry, which analysed the experiences of 1,500 families at Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust between 2000 and 2019, found that at least 12 mothers died while giving birth, and some families lost more than one child in separate incidents, the newspaper reported.

Donna Ockenden, an expert midwife who led the inquiry with the input of more than 90 midwives and doctors, said her team had been “shocked and saddened” by the scale of the tragedy.

Donna Ockenden, the former senior midwife who led an independent inquiry into baby deaths at the trust.
Donna Ockenden, the former senior midwife who led an independent inquiry into baby deaths at the trust. Photograph: House of Commons/PA
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